Across Five Aprils Epilogue
by Merida Dare
Summary: Set ten years after the end of the Civil War, Jethro's life is finally beginning to go back to normal. This was originally a homework assignment, but I like it enough to share. Enjoy!


Across Five Aprils

Chapter 13

Jethro squinted out into the burning glare of the late afternoon sun. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he could just make out the shapes of two people galloping in from the north on horses. One of them was Shad. The other was Jenny, who liked to remind people that she could do everything just as well as men. Jethro grinned.

It was rare nowadays for Shad and Jenny to come down to Jethro's place, now that they were living up near the schoolhouse and had four children. Instead, Jethro often went and visited with them. The children adored him, and he felt comfortably at home with Jenny and Shad. However, Jethro was the man of the house now, and aside from his job teaching, he had work to do on the farm. He was busy.

Ten years after the end of the war, Jethro's life was just beginning to feel normal again. His body had at last caught up to where his mind had been since he was fourteen. He could never go back to being the innocent boy he had been before the war, but Jethro didn't mind. That boy wouldn't understand everything that Jethro understood; Jethro saw beauty in simple things that he never would have paid attention to when he was young. In addition, Jethro recalled that he had once told Nancy he didn't care any for girls. Jethro laughed to himself, glancing back to the house where his wife was.

Turning his attention back to Jenny and Shad, Jethro set down his plow and stepped over the rows that he had just finished. Quickly surveying his fields, Jethro felt proud. He had just begun teaching his oldest son, Abraham, how to plant potatoes. Though some of the trenches were slightly crooked, Jethro thought the five-year-old had done well. The crop would be plentiful.

"Jeth!" Jenny cried out when she was at the edge of the field. She jumped down from her saddle, ran to Jethro and wrapped him in a hug.

"Lord, Jenny, it's like you haven't seen me in years," Jethro joked, though he hugged her back. "Hey, Shad," he added, looking over Jenny's shoulder.

If you looked at Jethro's old schoolteacher, you would never be able to tell that he had once fought in the war. Though he had a serious face, Shad almost seemed to radiate happiness. He was a good father, and Jethro could tell that he loved Jenny very much. Jethro remembered the time when Shad had been so badly wounded; Jenny would never have found someone else to love if he had died. Jethro often thought of how glad he was that his parents had allowed Jenny to go to Washington D.C. for that fateful month. He had agreed with his father that Jenny was quite young, but everyone knew that in the end a good decision had been made.

When Jethro had married, he had been the one to record it in the family Bible. His eyes had caught on the words "married to Shadrach Yale," written in his own handwriting next to Jenny's name. Above that was his father's name. Jethro had traced the letters that spelled "Matthew Creighton" as though reading the name would bring back the person, but he knew that his father was gone. Matt had died only shortly after Jenny and Shad had returned, the war having taken its toll on his ailing self.

"You're welcome to go on inside," Jethro told Shad and his sister, suddenly wanting a moment to himself. "I'll foller you in after I finish plowin' this row. Catherine's there with the little 'uns- John and Nancy are here too, with their boys."

Jenny, eager to see her several nieces and nephews, didn't pick up on Jethro's mood, for which he was glad. Shadrach looked at him for a moment before turning away to lead his horse to the barn. Jethro exhaled. He stood and watched Shad and Jenny walk to the house before turning to the plow with a sigh.

It was Bill who was on Jethro's mind, and it was Bill who had been on Jethro's mind for ten years. Bill never got to see Matt before he died, and Matt never saw Bill. Jethro was saddened that his father had never had the chance to see Bill after the war when the two could have met as father and son for one last time. He scowled at the plow when he remembered the words in Bill's first letter, one of the few letters the family had received from him. It had been addressed to Jethro.

"_Jethro, you tell Ma and Pa that it's best if I don't come home. I'm sorry to them, and I'm sorry to you. But I ain't sorry I fought for the south. Even though we lost. I wish I could see all of you, but I'm here now. I'm not coming home."_

Jethro finished plowing the row and took the plow in to the barn, stopping for a moment when he saw an extra horse. He recognized it as Wilse Graham's. For a while after Matt had died, Wilse had stayed with the Creightons and helped Jethro with work in the fields. Jethro appreciated having him there and listened to his politics, inserting his own opinions here and there. Mostly Jethro stayed quiet, but he always listened intently. Wilse and Eb talked quite a lot with each other about the war whenever Eb came up from his university in Washington, DC. Trying to put the past behind him, Jethro didn't join in these conversations. Wilse had become a regular part of the family, so Jethro was not surprised to have him visit.

Many voices could be heard as Jethro came up to the house. He leaned against the doorframe and listened, smiling at the unintelligible babble of his little children. Opening the door, he stepped into the house and was greeted by the warm sight of his loved ones all together.

"Jeth," Catherine chided when she saw him, "you didn't say we'd hev so much company fer supper!"

"Don't trouble yourself," answered Jenny. "Shad and I aren't stayin' for a meal. We've got the children back home."

Catherine smiled warmly at Jenny. The two got along better than sisters. Jethro was glad. He had worried about introducing his family to Catherine, but she ended up being loved by all. Ellen especially liked her company. She was glad of any task that could keep her occupied, so Jethro and Catherine often let her look after the children. They knew that she was missing Matt.

Jenny and Shad stayed for an hour to catch up with everyone before going back to the schoolhouse. On the doorstep, Jenny challenged Shad to race their horses down the road. Chuckling, Jethro silently bet on Jenny.

Everyone else stayed to eat supper together. Jethro's heart was full as he looked down the table and saw all his family, young and old. More than once, he met Catherine's eyes and saw her brimming with the same happiness he felt.

After the meal, Jethro stood at the edge of the fields, watching as the sun disappeared behind the earth. He thought he was alone until he felt two small arms around his legs and looked down. His three-year-old daughter Jo was looking up at him with her clear blue eyes. Jethro bent down to pick her up and saw his wife coming out to join them. In her arms was baby Amelia, and Abraham came behind.

Catherine wordlessly stood next to Jethro and turned her eyes to the horizon. The sunset stole the stage of the sky, putting on a show for only Jethro and his family to see. Colors danced into each other, blending into fantastic shades of orange and yellow. Eventually, darker hues of blue began to bleed over the bright canvas, and night crept in.

Jethro put his arm around Catherine. He finally had a life of his own, and he wouldn't exchange it for any other. He didn't have to worry about the past anymore. While the war had changed his life, it didn't define his life. No, Jethro's life was as good as it could be.


End file.
